Bali Day 3

We had a private tour booked. There were 7 of us in 2 cars. We left at 9:00 AM and drove 1 1/2 hours inland through mostly city all the way. There were several small towns but there was no separation from the towns. There were many temples along the way and many places that looked like temples but weren’t. The streets were decorated with tall bamboo poles that hung over the roadway. It was for the celebration going on for 10 days ending with the new year celebration. One of those days will be absolutely silent. No cars, no planes, no one out in the streets. It’s hard to imagine that. It will be a family day and no one will go out.
‘We ended up at a park that has swings that swing out over a cliff. I screwed up my courage and gave it a try. My heart was in my throat to start, then I calmed down and it was nice. They pushed me a couple times, then I told them to stop. It was nice to just float there. It was a very long way down. A guy had my phone and was taking pictures of me. He yelled at me to let go of the rope. I let go with one hand but that’s all I could manage. They had dresses with long backs on them that fanned out as you swang (swung?)Betty did that and it looked really nice. Beryl and Ben rode the bicycle across a gorge. Not for me! We had lunch there and then left. They took us to a coffee place where they sell the most expensive coffee in the world. That’s because there is a cat like animal that eats the coffee beans but doesn’t digest them. So they collect the poop, clean the beans and process them into coffee. A couple people tried it and said it was awful. They also had teas to taste. I got a mango tea. It was very good. From there we went to a pharmacy to stock up on whatever we needed. Then we went to a place that makes batik. There were a couple of women working on some patterns. Then we went into the store and it was everywhere. I found a turquoise one that could be used as a shawl but I will probably use it on my table at home. I found a bright red scarf. It was only $4 US. I want to tie it to our balcony the next time we have to tender to shore. Then we will know where our room is.
We headed home from the batik shop. It was a 45 minute ride on crowded streets. There are a zillion scooters that weave between the cars and many times I thought we were going to hit one that got too close. There are no helmet laws and we saw many parents with small children on them. Very scary We got back to the ship about 5:00. Our day cost us $25 each, plus admission to the swings and lunch, which was $13 for a pizza Bunny and I split. Not a bad day for a decent price.

I have always heard that Bali is such an exotic place. We didn’t get to a beach and we went to the hotel dinner in the dark so we couldn’t see much. So for us, it wasn’t exotic. More like driving through a third world country with not so nice neighborhoods. There are no sidewalks. The buildings are right on the street, dogs roam freely, even though they have owners. It was very crowded with all buildings right up against each other. Yet the Balinese people are the nicest, kindest people you could meet anywhere. They are 90% Hindu and I think that accounts for their gentle personalities. They put their hands together and bow when we would leave. I reciprocated. I also think it’s just too hot to be mean and nasty!!
‘We set sail around 9:00 and will sail the Java sea tomorrow on our way to Java.

Photos; morning shots from the balcony, the name of the swing park, Ben and Beryl on the bikes, me swinging out over the abyss, I call the one with Betty “Anticipation”, the last one is the rice paddy across the way with people working the field at the top.